This invention relates to warning devices and more specifically to means for advising a user of power equipment of safety instructions, the system ensuring that the instructions are given before the equipment may be operated.
Power tools, such as circular saws, are inherently dangerous and must not be used by those unfamiliar with the dangers of their use. The manufacturers of such equipment warn potential users of the dangers inherent in their use by instruction manuals, warning placards and the like. Despite their best efforts, users are injured and lawsuits frequently result. The plaintiff often testifies that he did not receive the appropriate warning instructions, the placard, manual etc. were not provided, legible etc. It is difficult for a manufacturer to convince a jury that a machine, ten years after it left the factory, did have appropriate, legible warning instruction and that the user received them. Since many injuries occur in training situations such as school workshops, it would be useful to provide a system that was relatively foolproof for always instructing a user before operation of the machine. It would be helpful to the defense of a manufacturer of a machine to be able to provide convincing evidence that such instructions were given and received.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,040 issued Jul. 30, 1974 to Simmons teaches a safety warning device that actuates an alarm when safety equipment is not removed from an operator arm. This assumes that the safety equipment is returned to the arm after use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,403 issued Jan. 22, 1991 to Apfel and U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,010 issued Jan. 10, 1967 to DuBosq teach devices that produce audible warnings and announcements to a machine operator related to particular conditions, but there is no assurance that the messages have been generated.
Clever Devices Ltd of Glenwood Landing, N.Y. provides a Safety Announcement System which is a solid state device that stores safety warnings digitally and announces them through an audio speaker whenever anyone passes within view of one of their various sensors. Once again, there is no certainty that the message has been audibly generated or received. Such a system could also be an annoyance to a single operator moving about a workshop.